The Agenda: NH legislative session day preview

Welcome to another installment of "The Agenda", which appears every morning of session day with news, analysis and fun features about the State House.

On The Agenda today: The House meets at 10 a.m. The Senate next week.

Abortion comes back to the forefront

Besides the death penalty, the House has been fairly quiet on social issues this session. This will change Wednesday when the House is expected to take up four different abortion related bills. One bill would declare that life begins at conception, another would license outpatient abortion clinics, a different one would collect data on abortions in the state, and a final bill would make the death of fetus part of the state’s criminal code. With the Democratic majority, however, it should be pretty clear how these votes will end up.

WMUR-TV’s Meet the Candidate’s series begins Thursday

We are less than six months until Primary Day, and on Thursday, WMUR is kicking off our "Commitment 2014: Meet the Candidates" series.

We will be hosting 30-minute live conversations on WMUR.com.

Starting us off on Thursday is Andrew Hemingway, a Republican candidate for governor.

Hear about his background and his campaign this Thursday at noon on WMUR.com.

AG Joseph Foster urges big-name pharmacies to halt tobacco sales

Not long after CVS announced it would stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products, state leaders in New Hampshire are urging other companies to follow suit.

New Hampshire Attorney General Joseph Foster is joining with other states to put pressure on big-name pharmacies to change their tobacco policies as well.

The decision by CVS will cost the company an estimated $2 billion per year, but the positive press and praise the move has generated is proving valuable as well.

Foster saw an opportunity.

"What we are looking to do primarily is to send a strong message,” said Foster.Foster is just one of more than two dozen state's attorneys general to put pressure on other pharmaceutical chains like Walgreens, Rite Aid and Walmart to stop selling tobacco products

A Senate committee is holding a hearing on whether to forgive hikers for any rescue expenses they'd otherwise owe New Hampshire for being negligent and getting into trouble if they buy a hike safe card.

Wednesday's hearing is on a House-passed bill that authorizes the Fish and Game Department to sell voluntary hike safe cards for $25 per person and $35 per family. People who obtain the cards would not be liable to repay rescue costs if their rescue was due to negligence on their part.

The bill also would exempt people with hunting and fishing licenses and anyone with an off-highway recreational vehicle registration, including for a snowmobile.